Footwear in the nature of a pac



Sept. 27, 1955 Filed March 27, 1952 United States Patent FOOTWEAR IN THE NATURE OF A PAC Virginia G. Spilman, Albuquerque, N. Mex.

. Application March 27, 1952, Serial No. 278,830

1 Claim. (CI. 36-12) This invention relates to the field of wearing apparel, and more particularly to a covering for the human foot, the primary object being to provide a relatively comfortable, yet sturdy moccasin-like covering which, by virtue of its sole, may well be termed a pac.

It is the most important object of the present invention to provide a pac that includes the cup-shaped sole usually found in articles of this nature andhaving an upturned periphery to which the upper is attached, the said upper being formed from a pair of initially separate sections joined to the sole and to each other in a novel manner, all for the purpose of cheapness of manufacture, ease of assembling, and attractiveness, as well as comfort from he stan po n of e user.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a pac wherein the two aforesaid portions that constitute the upper, are held in overlapping relationship by a line of stitching that completely surrounds the article of footwear and by unique lacing that is substantially hidden from view when the pac is in its normal folded condition.

Another important object hereof is to provide a pac that has an upper, including a combination toe and tongue member formed from an initially flat, integral piece of flexible material and a back portion that is likewise made from a single sheet of leather or the like presenting a pair of quarters joined by a back portion.

Still further objects of this invention include the way in which the back portion of the upper has a U-shaped band that may be either folded downwardly or extended into an ankle covering; the way in which the U-shaped band is formed to present a pair of flaps that overlap the tongue and toe member during one manner of use of the pac and overlap each other when extended into an anklecovering position; the way in which the back portion of the upper is slit to present the aforesaid flaps and to accommodate the uppermost end of the tongue; and many other more minor objects, all of which will be made clear as the following specification progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side perspective view of footwear in the nature of a pac made pursuant to my present invention, parts being broken away for clearness.

Fig. 2 is a side perspective view thereof but showing the same in condition for use additionally as an ankle covering; and

Fig. 3 is a substantially central, longitudinal sectional view through the pac when in the condition shown by Fig. 2.

As is easily recognized from the drawing, the article of footwear hereof is in fact a pac by virtue of its consisting of a sole, breadly designated by the numeral 10, that is turned upwardly as at 12 throughout its periphery, the upper being broadly designated by the numeral 14 and being secured to the upturned peripheral flange or band-like portion 12 of the sole 10.

The advantages of such construction manifestly include the provision of a relatively comfortable slipper-like moccasin and, at the same time presenting a piece of footwear "ice that may be worn where so-called house slippers cannot normally be used.

The sole 10 is preferably molded into a single piece or section as illustrated, from a relatively tough, yet flexible though not highly pliable, cowhide. Those skilled in this field will recognize that the type of leather preferred for sole 10 is commonly referred to as latigo leather. In this connection therefore, it is noted that the sole 10 presents a toe portion 16, a heel portion 18 and, by virtue of the continuous flange 12, the sole 10 actually constitutes a part of the upper 14.

Essentially however, the upper 14 is made from a pair of initially flat sections, one of which may herein be designated a combination integral toe and tongue member 20. The other section of upper 14 may be designated broadly by the numeral 22, and consists of a pair of opposed quarters 24 and 26 that are integrally joined by a back portion 28.

Body 22 is provided with an integral U-shaped band 30 at the uppermost end thereof and is slit as at 32 and 34 to present a pair of opposed flaps 36 and 38; as will hereinafter appear, the slits 32 and 34 will accommodate the uppermost end of the tongue and toe member 20. The upper 14 including the two sections 20 and 22 are joined to the section 10 solely by a common line of stitching 40 that completely surrounds the pac. The upper 14 is disposed within the sole 10 and particularly within the confines of the oval-shaped flange portion 12 thereof. Thus the upper 14 is overlapped by the upturned flange 12 andis provided with a plurality of pairs of openings 42 that receive the overcast stitch 40, the flange portion 12 of sole 10 being provided with but a single row of open ings 44 for receiving the stitching 40-. The line of stitching 40, together with lacing 46, serve as the sole means for holding the quarters 24 and 26 in partial underlying relationship-to a portion of the member 20 at the forwardmost end of quarters 24 and 26. The quarters 24 and 26 need extend only a short distance into the toe of the pac, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing, that part of the quarters 24 and 26 being immediately below the corresponding slits 32 and 34.

The body portion 22 of upper 14 has a plurality of lace holes 48 and, as is clear in the drawing, the lacing 46 is interwoven through the holes 48 in looped relationship to the body 22 and particularly around the back portion 28 of the section 22. The member 20 is likewise provided with two pairs of opposed lace holes 50 adjacent the uppermost and rearmost edge thereof for receiving the lacing 46, the latter thereupon passing through a hole 52 in each flap 36 and 38 respectively.

When the pac is in the position or condition illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the U-shaped band 30 is in folded relationship to a portion of the remainder of the body 22 covering substantially all of the lacing 46 with the exception of extending straps forming a part of lacing 46 which may be tied into an attractive how 54 overlying the instep of the wearer adjacent the angle. When the lacing 46 is tied as at 54, the flaps 36 and 38 are actually joined or secured to the member 20 with flaps 36 and 38 in overlapping relationship to member 20 as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

A very novel feature of the present invention relates to the way in which the U-shaped band 30, normally used as a manner of decoration or attractiveness and to also hide the lacing 46, may be folded upwardly from the condition shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing to that illustrated by Figs. 2 and 3. It is normally desirable when extending the band 30 to the upward ankle-covering position, to partially relace the lacing 46 by removing the same from the openings 52 and extending the same therethrough in the opposite direction. Thereupon the lacing 46 is again tied into a bow 56, holding the flaps 36 and 38 relatively overlapped, whereby the band 30 presents a continuous covering completely surrounding the ankle. v

Another feature that adds to the attractiveness of the article is to provide scalloping 58 along the outermost edge of the band 30 and continuing around the flaps 36 and 38, as well as to provide-similar scalloping 60 that continues throughout the rearmost edge of the combination tongue and toe member 20.

It is further contemplated that there be provided an inner sole not herein shown, as a matter of comfort, and it is to be noted additionally that the pac is readily adapted to be made in pairs, namely, a right and a left rather than merely providing a pair of foot coverings that are interchangeable so far 'as the feet of the wearer are concerned.

It is readily seen that the pac hereof is easily adapted for manufacture from a wide variety of material and to this end, it is contemplated that the entire upper 14 be produced from a highly flexible, soft leather such as felt, suede or the like. The pac is adapted for various color combinations and the toe portion 20, particularly, presents a relatively large area upon which may be placed various designs either by painting, beading or other means commonly employed in this field.

The U-shaped band 30 permits the interlacing of the straps or the like 46 around the heel of the wearer to facilitate maintaining the same in place without the accompanying loss of attractiveness commonly found in articles of this nature.

Many details of construction may be changed or modified within the spirit of this invention and, it is therefore, desired to be limited only by the scope of the appended claim.

, Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

An upper for moccasin type foot coverings having a unitary sole provided with an integral, upturned, peripheral flange, said upper comprising a substantially rectangular rear section having elongated lower and upper edges, flaps integral with said rear section and extending longitudinally therefrom along said upper edge, and front edges extending upwardly from said lower edge to said flaps, said rear section being provided with a longitudinal series of spaced openings between said lower edge and the flaps, there being also an opening in each flap respec tively, said rear section being slit inwardly at each juncture of a flap and front edge respectively; a toe and tongue section having a first arcuate edge and a second arcuate edge extending forwardly from said first edge at each end thereof respectively, said arcuate edges defining a substantially triangularly shaped tongue and toe section;

a line of stitching connecting said lower edge of the rear section and said second edge of the toe and tongue section to said flange with said flaps and said front edges in lapping relationship to said first arcuate edge, the latter extending into said slits, said front edges being disposed within the moccasin and said flaps exteriorly thereof, there being openings in said tongue and toe section substantially in alignment with corresponding openings in said flaps and rear section; and a lace passing through said openings for adjustably interconnecting said sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 162,166 Heath Apr. '20, 1875 970,393 Raymond Sept. 13, 1910 2,425,955 Rouch Aug. 19, 1947 2,487,227 Ederle Nov. 8, 1949 2,541,020 Arnold Feb. 13, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 72,623 Austria Oct. 25, 1916 269,548 Italy Nov. 22, 1929 365,641 Great Britain Ian. 25, 1932 

